Mi adidas

Thanks to SLAM’s good friends at adidas, I will be running the prestigious Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, a race adi proudly sponsors. Boston is the most famous marathon in the world thanks to its history (it was first run in 1897, making it the oldest annual marathon in the world) and its stringent qualifying standards (to enter without a charity or media tie-in, a male my age would need to provide proof he’d finished a marathon in under 3:10 to get in). I don’t feel at all capable of running a race that fast, but I still want to show respect for the race and those who do run fast, so I’m hoping to complete it race in about four hours, which is at least decent. (Some of my hardcore readers may find all of this familiar; thanks to Asics I ran the 2009 New York Marathon in 4:08).

All of this to say that I NEED to train. And fast. Over the past few months I’ve gotten to stay in decent shape by jogging once a week and playing a good bit of basketball, either in SLAM runs via Indoor Hoops or at Nike’s Masaryk Gym. But basketball/”decent” shape is NOT marathon shape.

I started my marathon training in earnest last weekend by completing a half marathon in upstate NY in 1:54. I wore a mix of old and new gear for that one, but I’ve now shifted entirely into using new adidas gear that is pictured and detailed below.

So far, so good with all the products I’ve used, and if you’re wondering what any of this has to do with SLAM, note that we’ve always covered shoes almost as closely as basketball, and that, as I’m finding out right now, running makes playing ball easier, and the other way around.

Please note that I am not actually using the miCoach technology, but that’s because I’m a bit of a technophobe and like to run with no accoutrements whatsoever. No watch, no iPod, no headphones. Other than official races, the distance I go on training runs is purely a guess. I’m not saying this is the smartest way, but it works for me. miCoach does seem pretty cool though.

I’ll do a post after the race that recaps what I hope and expect will be an amazing experience.